The Broncos spent the week circling the same two questions every smart game plan starts with: where can the Rams hurt you, and where can you hurt them back?
The first answer is easy enough. Matthew Stafford is the engine, and the Rams’ offense runs as far as he can push it.
With a primetime setting waiting on Sunday Night Football, Stafford becomes the clearest danger on the field. Los Angeles has built enough around him to make life messy for a defense, and he’s shown he can sort through the clutter, read it out, and find the open target.
But if the Broncos want to rattle that operation, pressure is the route. The problem is that the Rams’ line doesn’t make that simple, even if one spot stands out.
Rob Havenstein is the weak link in pass protection, even though he’s a strong run blocker. That’s where Zach Allen enters the picture.
Allen has been moved around the defensive line more this season than he has in past years, and after being largely unblockable against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he brings the kind of pass-rush threat that can put Havenstein in trouble. Against a Rams run game that asks a lot of opposing fronts, Denver needs its defensive line to force double teams, and Havenstein is one of the tougher places to do that.
The other side of the matchup gives Denver another lane to explore. The Rams’ defensive front gets plenty of attention, which helps keep Byron Young from drawing the same spotlight.
Los Angeles has the kind of depth up front that lets it move pieces around, but Young mostly works against the left guard. That puts him across from Ben Powers, who is a solid run blocker and one of the league’s best pulling guards, but could be in for a rough night if his pass protection slips.
Then there’s the linebacker level, where the Rams keep things simple by using their safeties to clean up some of the coverage problems. Troy Landman has had a rough start to the season and has been the biggest defensive liability for Los Angeles, whether he’s being tested in coverage or targeted against the run. The Broncos’ best chance there is to force him into coverage without the safety help that usually covers for him.
If Denver can isolate Landman, the matchup opens up no matter who draws him. Attacking him on the ground would be the ideal path too, though the Rams’ defensive line makes that a tougher task to pull off.
In Other News...
Tim Tebow Faces Serious Questions As Off-Field Controversy Grows
Tim Tebow is dealing with a very different kind of spotlight these days, one tied not to football but to his off-field work. The former Broncos quarterback has been connected to Life Surge, the Christian group now facing allegations that it pressured people into expensive financial advice programs that offered little in return. Tebow has said he is taking the claims seriously and is stepping back from his involvement while an investigation plays out.
Life Surge has denied the allegations, and Tebow has been a featured speaker at multiple events for the organization in recent years. For a public figure who has long blended faith, charity and celebrity, the situation adds another layer of scrutiny to a profile that has often drawn attention well beyond the game. For now, the central question is how far this controversy reaches and what it means for the relationship he had built with the group. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Lose Promising Rookie Back Just As His Role Was Growing
Jonah Colemans role in Denver was starting to grow at just the right time, and the rookie running back had shown enough against Jacksonville to suggest the Broncos had found a useful piece in their backfield rotation. He played through the game despite a high-ankle sprain, finishing with 39 rushing yards, a touchdown and three catches, the kind of all-purpose effort that usually earns a young player more trust in the weeks ahead.
Instead, the Broncos will have to navigate the next stretch without him after placing Coleman on short-term injured reserve. The timetable points to a return in late October against the Arizona Cardinals, which gives Denver a clear target while leaving the backfield picture a little thinner in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Suddenly Face A Bigger Davante Adams Problem
Puka Nacuas soft tissue injury has already changed the shape of the Rams passing game, and it leaves Denver preparing for a heavier Davante Adams workload than it likely would have seen otherwise. Adams has been more productive when Nacua is off the field, which gives Sean Paytons defense a different kind of problem to solve heading into the matchup.
The Broncos are expected to answer with Pat Surtain II shadowing Adams and by trying to make life uncomfortable for Matthew Stafford, whose mobility remains limited. Even so, the chess match can turn quickly if Adams starts finding room early, because Denvers game plan depends on keeping Stafford under pressure while limiting the one receiver the Rams can lean on most in this setup. [Read more 🡒]